


The Tough Choices

by JustAndrea



Category: El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera
Genre: Drama, Gen, Other, mild violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-30
Updated: 2016-09-30
Packaged: 2018-08-18 15:49:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,543
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8167472
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JustAndrea/pseuds/JustAndrea
Summary: Being a hero isn’t always easy, and sometimes there is no ‘right’ choice…





	

He could easily hear the sirens - with nearly every officer in the city chasing after him, how could he not? - but he didn’t dare look back. He just kept running, trying to keep the bags of stolen money in his now giant hands the best he could.

“Must hide… Must hide!” Separating one of his arms into two, he grabbed onto a nearby streetlight and used it to swing off the bridge and land safely on the road below. Unfortunately, this action only earned him a moment of relief before he realized that there was just as many cops on this road as the run above him, forcing him to continue running.

Honestly, this had been the farthest he had ever gotten on an evil scheme. The first time he robbed a place, he was caught within a couple minutes. He had totally forgotten about the silent alarm the bank had - a stupid mistake. The second time, he actually snuck into the bank and tried to steal the entire safe, but his lack of super speed only allowed him to run for about a mile or so without being caught before the police caught up to him. 

‘But I’m not going to get caught this time!’ the villain thought to himself - though, as the sirens got louder, even he was starting to doubt himself…

Turning a corner, he couldn’t help but grin slightly at what he saw. The old warehouse! Technically it belonged to the Chipotles, but he and Rodolf- …But the Chipotles had been thrown in jail a few months ago. No way the police would suspect anyone hiding there now! So, picking up as much speed as he could, he ran towards the dark warehouse.

Once inside, he ran over to one of the large sewage pipes connected to the building and placed himself next to it, allowing his liquid arms to wrap around him and take on the shape of the pipe. The perfect disguise!

Minutes passed, then several minutes. A couple of times, he could see a bit of light through the liquid metal - a flashlight, perhaps? Or a pair of headlights? - but they left quickly. Eventually, with a victorious smile, the villain let go of his disguise. “I did it… I-I actually did it! Haha, finally! I-”

_“Yes, you did… But was it worth it?”_

The Titanium Titan froze. That voice made his blood run cold, yet it also made his heart race. “…Rodolfo,” he said finally, slowly turning towards the far side of the warehouse, “Hmph… You never showed up the other times I tried to rob a place, so I’m sort of surprised that you would bother to show up now.”

The masked hero stepped out of the shadows, trying to keep his face as stoic as possible. “I just thought that… That it is time I tried to put a stop to all this. And… I’m afraid it’s White Pantera, to you.”

There was a flash of hurt on the Titan’s face before a hate-filled glare took it over, his fists clenched so tightly now that it was a wonder the bags of money in them didn’t explode.

“You don’t get to act all high and mighty, Pantera!” he screamed, taking a step forward, “This is all YOUR FAULT!” 

“You made your own choice, Titan!” White Pantera shot back, giving a small scowl of his own.

“But I wouldn’t have had to make this choice if YOU hadn’t betrayed me!” Him and that Maria… And now _that boy_ … “WHAT MAKES THEM SO IMPORTANT ANYWAY?!”

Pantera’s face softened a bit. “They are my family, Titan. You know I can’t-” “But WE were a team first! How can you just give all that up?! Did it mean NOTHING to you, Rodolfo?!”

“Of course it meant something to me!” the hero snapped, clenching his own fists now, “We… We were not just hero and sidekick - you were my best friend, Titan!”

“…” Despite his eyes burning slightly now, the Titan continued to glare. “But what?” Pantera said nothing. “But WHAT?!” the Titan repeated.

“But… But my family means _everything_ to me,” Pantera finally replied, “Their love and support keep me strong!” He glanced away a bit. “Fighting crime with you… It was noble and honorable, but it was also a choice. I chose to put being a hero above everything else. But now… Now I can no longer keep that choice.” 

“Yes you can!” the Titan argued, scoffing a bit, “Who cares what Maria thinks?! A real wife would let you keep fighting, no matter what! She’s just-”

“Do NOT talk about her that way!” Pantera yelled, his scowl deepening. The Titan took a small step back, but still refused to completely back down. “Besides, I have already told you, this is MY choice. It was my choice to only be a hero when the city truly needs me. …And it was my choice to put my family first.”

This time, the Titan was the one who glanced away - and once again, the hero’s face softened. Honestly, Titan didn’t know whether to be happy because Rodolfo still actually cared about him, or angry because the hero was just pitying him now. 

In the middle of the silence, they could hear the faint sound of sirens coming their way. “You have a choice as well, old friend,” Pantera continued, taking a step forward, “Give yourself up. Repay your debt to society, and then start over. Be the hero I _know_ you can be.”

“Hmph.” The Titan still didn’t look at him, but he did lower his arms. “We both know how that turned out the first time, Rodolfo… We both know I’ll never be as strong and as successful as you.”

“You don’t know that,” Pantera insisted, taking another step forward, “I… Maybe I can’t be your partner-in-fighting-crime anymore, but I could still help you get stronger, and help you figure out ways to fight crime on your own. With your powers, you could do it! I know you could! Just please, amigo… Come back over to the side of good. Let me help you.”

“…” The Titan’s hands were open now, the bags of money falling to the floor. The Titan could hardly care about them now… Was Rodolfo really going to help him? He would help him get stronger, help him become a mighty hero - so mighty that no villains would ever beat him to a pulp again! And, they would be together again. They would be together again and he wouldn’t be lonely anymore and-

And then Rodolfo would leave again. He would leave and go back to Maria and the boy. The Titan - their partnership - would just be a memory to him. Rodolfo… He didn’t care about helping him! He just wanted to save the day, just so he could be the hero once more! …Just so he could go back to his family, where he would be perfectly happy without him… He didn’t care about their partnership, or their history or their future, he _didn’t care-!_

The Titan’s fists were clenched once more, but White Pantera didn’t notice. He just kept walking towards his former friend, offering his hand. “Amigo… Tito, please. Let us just-”

The liquid metal started to move. Pantera’s eyes widened, and before he even had a chance to defend, he was pushed back - practically launched - hard enough so that he hit the farthest wall and caused it to crumble slightly.

The Titan narrowed his eyes. “That’s The Titanium Titan to you!” With that, the villain started to gather up his stolen money, determined to escape with it.

Gritting his teeth, White Pantera ignored the pain now in his back and kicked against the wall, causing that side of the building to crumble and for himself to be launched back towards the Titan.

But the Titan was ready for him, his arms quickly morphing into a giant metal shield. Punch after punch was thrown by Pantera, but nothing could break through the liquid metal. “Titan! You don’t have to do this-!”

“I know EXACTLY what I’m doing!” the Titan screamed, pushing his shield forward and knocking Pantera back again. Once the hero was on the ground, the Titan allowed spikes to morph onto his arms, and attempted to go on the offensive. “After all-” he said as he threw one arm down, scowling when Pantera managed to dodge, “You aren’t the only one who can make a bad choice!”

Knowing that the other arm was quickly coming, Pantera ignored the villain’s words and got back on his feet, running just in time to miss the spikes. “Oh no you don’t!” Extending his hand, the Titan began launching shards of liquid metal at Pantera as he ran around the building. Unfortunately, he managed to hit and destroy everything BUT Pantera.

The sirens were getting louder now. The police would be there soon, and if Pantera didn’t stop the Titan’s barrage of attacks… His frown deepened. He had to do something! He wasn’t going to let anyone else get hurt because of him.

With a mighty leap, White Pantera jumped up to one of the warehouse support beams, causing the lamps connected to them to shake and blink a bit. “I am giving you one last chance to surrender, Titan! Do not make me do this!”

There wasn’t even any hesitation. “NEVER!” The Titan screamed, his arms now two giant metal balls - so heavy that he was barely able to even keep them up. “If I am defeated… Then I’ll just have to take _you with me!_ ” With that, he launched one of the metal balls straight at his former partner.

But Pantera had no fear, and with ease, he leapt up even higher. The metal ball crashed through the roof, and moonlight shone into the now-dark building. However, that wasn’t the only light in the room…

As soon as he started to fall, Pantera extended his leg - his bronze boots now giving a golden glow. The Titan’s eyes widened, his arms quickly reforming his shield. Though, in the back of his mind, even he knew it wouldn’t make much of a difference.

The Pantera Power Punch-Kick was a direct hit, and as the liquid metal vibrated from the hit, the heat and strength from the Bronze Boots of Truth’s attack made its way through the Titan’s arms as well. Within seconds, his arms totally fell apart, leaving him with two missing limbs and a couple of puddles of liquid metal and some now-soiled stolen money beside him. 

“It’s over,” Pantera said simply. The Titan lowered his head. No… No! 

Police cars screeched outside the building, doors slamming as officers started getting out. It was _nearly_ over. In a last ditch attempt, the Titan turned and tried to run - but before he could even take more than a couple steps, Pantera grabbed him and put him in a headlock, easily keeping him in place until the police could finally arrest him.

Of course, the Titan struggled, despite knowing that it was pointless. “ _Gak!_ Erg, t-traitor… You, you TRAITOR!” Still, Pantera said nothing, not even looking at him now, and the Titan refused to stop struggling, only stopping when he was in the hands of police instead of his former friend.

“Thank you, White Pantera!” Rodolfo heard an officer say, with a couple others smiling at him. The hero forced a small smile, nodding at them in return.

“I, I am just glad that I could-” “PANTERA!”

White Pantera instantly turned to face the Titan. He could see tears in the shorter man’s eyes, but the Titan still continued to glare as he was dragged into the police wagon. “This isn’t over! We aren’t over! I-I, I WILL return, do you hear me?! I will return, and I swear, it will be JUST like the old days!” He would make sure of that, even if it meant doing the unthinkable. …After all, who’s to say that his friend wouldn’t be happier without a wife and son?

“…” Once again, Pantera turned away while Chief Suarez told the villain to be quiet, shoving him through the wagon doors before slamming them shut. Knowing that his job was done, Pantera started to walk away from the whole scene, allowing the officers to take his former sidekick away. After all, at that moment at least, it was really the only thing he could do…

()()()()()()()()()()

It wasn’t very late, and her husband had certainly dealt with bigger threats than this. Still, Maria couldn’t help but be a bit worried. Thankfully, just a few minutes after the clock struck ten, she heard the door open. 

“Rodolfo?” she said quietly, making her way to the living room, “Did you-?” She paused. Her husband wasn’t even looking at her… Frown deepening, she walked over to him and lifted his head slightly, cupping his face as she looked through his eyes. “Rodolfo… Are you alright?”

Rodolfo forced a small smile. “I am fine, mi amor. Just… tired.”

“Alright. Well… Would you like to go to bed now?”

The hero didn’t reply right away, their eye contact broken once more. “Actually, I… I think I will meet you there in a bit. I just, need some time to think…”

Maria nodded, understanding. For a moment, she thought about all the psychology and advice books she had read over the years. She could certainly think of some questions to ask and solutions to offer but… Maybe that could wait until morning. For now, she had a feeling that all her husband needed was some alone time.

So, she gave him a soft kiss before letting him go. “Buenas noches, Rodolfo.”

“Buenas noches, mi amor… I will be there in a bit,” he repeated, nodding back at her. But once she was gone, Rodolfo nearly collapsed in his chair - though not out of fatigue. Reaching up, he pulled off his mask and sighed. 

No doubt that the local evening news was calling him a hero… The Titanium Titan was probably already in his cell… Honestly, could Rodolfo really call himself a hero at that moment?

“I did what I was supposed to,” he mumbled to himself. He had stopped a villain, and helped police catch him. …But that villain was once his friend - his best friend since their senior year in high school, and perhaps someone he could have prevented from even becoming a villain. Maybe he couldn’t blame him for becoming jealous, or for feeling hurt. “Should I have done more?” …Should he have tried to keep balancing his partnership with the Titan with his family instead of choosing one over the other?

But, if he did that, he’d lose time with both his sidekick and his family. He certainly wouldn’t be able to spend as much time with the Titan as he used to - no more late-night stakeouts, or whole weekends spent fighting crime - but any time he did spend with the Titan would mean leaving Maria and his son alone for who knows how long (being a hero certainly wasn’t a 9-to-5 job), and vice versa. 

The hero sighed again. There was just no way to make the time he spent both as a hero and as a family man even! …Or, maybe there was, but it just still didn’t seem fair in his mind. No matter how evenly he divided it, someone would always be missing out. But, wasn’t it still technically the right thing to do?

Rodolfo had never really struggled with the temptation of evil, or even anything mischievous! The closest thing to that would be the time he spent dating Carmelita Aves - though even that had only been in the hopes that he could convince her to become a hero instead of a villain. For his entire life, his mind and heart always pointed towards the side of good, and he always had the will and determination to do the right thing. 

But now… “Now I just don’t know _what_ to do…”

Just then, a small sound caught his ear. It was faint, only lasting for a moment. Then it became louder - a quick whimper turning into a whine. Without hesitation, Rodolfo was on his feet, his boots carrying him quickly (yet quietly) down the hall.

“Mi hijo?” he said softly, opening the door. His young son was still in his crib, though it looked like he was having a pretty restless sleep. Walking over to the infant, Rodolfo put his hand on the boy’s head, gently petting his black curly hair. “It’s alright, Manuel… You’re alright.”

Squirming just a bit more, Manny opened his eyes - though, as soon as he saw his father’s smiling face, he relaxed a bit and was soon smiling back up at him.

Rodolfo chuckled. “I am glad to see you too, mi hijo. …I’m sure you were wondering why I wasn’t here to say goodnight…” He glanced away for a moment, but another noise from his son made his gaze return to him. Manny now had his arms up, shaking them a bit. 

“No no, it’s time to sleep,” Rodolfo told him, but the boy refused to put his hands down. “Manny-” “Gah!” “…Well, maybe just for a couple minutes,” he said as reached down into the crib. Manny’s smile grew, and as soon as he was in his father’s arms, he snuggled up to his chest, relaxing even more.

“Aww…” Taking a couple steps back, he sat down in his wife’s rocking chair. He knew how much Manny liked to be rocked to sleep. “As I said before, everything is alright…” The boy babbled a bit, his eyes already threatening to close.

“There was a… a bit of trouble tonight, but I can assure you that it is all taken care of, mi hijo,” he said, lowering his voice, “Tonight shall be a peaceful night…” Well, it would be peaceful for everyone else, at least. Rodolfo still wasn’t sure if he would be granted a good night’s sleep. The Titan’s words were still echoing in the back of his mind…

Even so, a small smile still stayed on his face as he watched his son. Such a beautiful boy… And Rodolfo just knew that he would one day grow up to be a great hero. But until then… “Until then, I will keep the nights peaceful for you, mi hijo.”

Manny’s eyes widened a bit, forcing himself to stay awake. But Rodolfo continued rocking, chuckling a bit when he saw his son yawn. “And I will teach you and take care of you during the day. And you will learn that, despite it’s… ah, _reputation_ , Miracle City is a place worth protecting. But you…” He held him a bit closer. “You and your mother are worth protecting even more.”

Maybe that’s why he refused to completely give up the mask. He couldn’t let innocents get hurt, and he also couldn’t let his family live and grow in a place that was constantly filled with danger that he could easily prevent. He could never completely let go of his passion for being a hero. …But there were also plenty of smaller crimes and threats that he could let the other Miracle City heroes deal with - at least for his first few years of fatherhood.

That was not a bad choice to make, was it?

Catching another yawn from the infant, Rodolfo stopped his rocking. “It looks like you are finally ready to go back to sleep, hm?” Manny babbled slightly, but with hardly any strength to keep his eyes open anymore, the little Rivera let himself fall asleep right in his father’s arms. “I will take that as a yes.”

Standing up slowly so he didn’t wake him up, he placed Manny back in his crib, and watched him. Thankfully, it looked like he wasn’t going to wake up again. Still, Rodolfo couldn’t help but stay by his son’s side. 

His home, his life, his family… He really was thankful for what he had. …Which is why he couldn’t ever fully regret his choice. “I meant what I said, Tito,” he mumbled to himself, glancing out the window, “It was my choice… And nothing is going to change that.” As much as he cared about his friend, he couldn’t - he would _never_ \- sacrifice his family just for him, even if it meant being forced to leave a great partnership behind.

Maybe in some regards, that was the wrong choice. Maybe in some regards, Rodolfo was being selfish. But, sometimes, maybe there was no ‘right’ choice. There was just sacrifice, and a bit of heartache. 

“Maybe there was still something you could have learned from our partnership, amigo…” And maybe, there was still time for the Titan to make another choice, and to find something else - something he cared about even more than Rodolfo and their partnership - to give him something to live and fight honorably for. 

“I certainly hope so…” Rodolfo said, gently patting his son’s head one last time before leaving the room and heading down the hall to his own. But until the Titan did make that choice, Rodolfo would keep choosing and accepting his own path, and right or wrong, he knew that it was something he would _always_ choose.

**THE END**


End file.
